“Slow Down, You Move Too Fast”

You may recognize these words to the Simon and Garfunkel song “Feeling Groovy.” There are times when I enjoy the mellowness of their music, but I wouldn’t say that I’m a fan. This post however isn’t about Simon and Garfunkel or their music. It’s about a walk I just took with my four year old autistic son Alex.

Being a cloudy and somewhat dreary day, and after being cooped up all afternoon in the house, we decided to take a walk when the rain stopped. There’s a lake in the neighborhood behind our house that’s about 3/4 of a mile around. With the big boys (Jackson and Blake) riding their bikes, Abby and I walked with Alex. We enjoyed some conversation, but we found ourselves always a few steps in front of Alex encouraging him along.

My bookends!

Every time I looked back, I saw my son just walking slow, looking around, and with what seemed like great intentionality, taking in every small detail. He was in no hurry. No hurry to move onto the next thing. No desire to get the walk behind him to whatever might be next on the agenda. He just took it slow, enjoyed the walk, and was captivated by what seemed like every little thing.

As I watched him all I could think of were the words “Slow down, you move too fast.” I thought about how often we find ourselves running, if not sprinting, from one thing to the next. I wonder, in the midst of our sprinting, how often we miss the beauty of what God is doing all around us. “Be still, and know that I am God” the psalmist would say.

I wonder, just wonder, if Alex could talk well if he would have said to me today, “Hey dad, slow down, you move too fast.”

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5 comments on ““Slow Down, You Move Too Fast””

Wow. What a great reminder to us all. Very well said. Alex is indeed precious and God has given you the gift of putting your thougtts down. Enjoyed the words that God said through you this morning as well!!

What an awesome and profound observation and lesson for us all! God is using Alex greatly in our lives and how I praise Him for this sweet and very special little boy! Thank you for sharing and reminding us all to “stop and smell the roses”!